Parents and Children
by Ninja-Consultant
Summary: Parents will always try to influence their children, and being clones does not prevent this from happening to Superboy and Match. A six part story. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Parents and Children, chapter 1

An alarm sounded at DEO headquarters.

"What's going on?" demanded Mr. Bones.

"Our computer systems are being taken over," a technician reported.

"Is our security failing? Do we know who's doing this?"

"Our security is holding now, but it will fail."

Mr. Bones slammed his fist on his desk. "Who's doing this?"

The technician hesitated before answering. "The signs point towards A-36."

* * *

The Martian Manhunter frowned. The JLA was receiving an urgent call from the DEO. He put it on the screen. 

Mr. Bones' visage appeared. "I need Match to come to the DEO headquarters immediately."

"What's wrong?"

"Our systems are being compromised. He's the only one who's familiar with the hacker."

* * *

Max looked up as he heard J'onn's telepathic message. 

"Acknowledged," he said. "I'll prepare for transport in ninety seconds."

"What's up?" Conner asked, knowing that Max didn't just talk out loud to himself.

"The DEO requires my assistance," he replied as he changed into his costume. "I'm going to be teleported there."

Conner started to change too. "I'll come."

Max mentally informed J'onn that Conner would be coming as well. The teleportation beam enveloped them, and they vanished.

* * *

The two appeared in DEO headquarters. Robin was there, as was Superman. Mr. Bones was flanked by two DEO agents. 

"What is the situation?" Match asked.

"Our systems are being hacked," Mr. Bones said. "The attacker is A-36. You know what will happen if it gets our files."

"I'd like a panel with the exact status," Match said. "I'll need two workstations next to each other."

"What's A-36?" Superboy asked.

"It's an artificial intelligence that's designed to eliminate metahumans," Mr. Bones said, as Match examined the status of the system's security on a panel a technician gave him. "If it gets into our systems, it will have access to our information and be able to execute its directives."

"What are you familiar with it?" Superman asked Match. "Did you help create the AI?"

Robin and Superboy winced. There had been far too many problems with rogue AIs recently.

"I worked on it a little," Match answered. "I was assigned by the Groups to infiltrate the organization creating it and to steal it. I turned over the code and plans before the organization was able to build it."

"Did the organization reconstruct its work?" Robin asked.

"That's not possible," Mr. Bones answered. "They were neutralized. Match, are you up to speed?"

Match put the panel down. "Yes, I am."

* * *

Match moved a seat between the two workstations and adjusted the keyboards. 

"What's your plan?" Mr. Bones asked.

"It's simple," he answered. "A-36 is trying to hack into the DEO system. It's trying to download the information and then activate the system's self-destruct device. I will hack into A-36 while it's trying to do this."

Robin whistled. "That's tougher than it sounds. Depending on the specs, this thing could process commands far faster than a person could."

"I concur," Oracle's voice came from a communications device that Robin was carrying. "Maybe a group of the best hackers could do it, but even between the three of us, we'd be overwhelmed."

Match sat down. "That is why we won't be doing this. I will."

"That's impossible," Robin bluntly stated.

"I helped design A-36," Match reminded him. "I know its weaknesses and they way it's programmed to think."

Robin was skeptical, but looked in disbelief as Match began typing one-handed on each workstation at a breakneck speed. Computer code flew across both screens.

"How's he doing that?" Robin whispered to Superboy.

Kon realized how Match was able to do it. "He's used to splitting his focus when using his powers. For lack of a better phrase, he's working on two different projects at once."

"Parallel processing," Robin said in awe.

"Five minutes until A-36 penetrates our system," a technician reported.

Match continued to type.

"Match, don't," a woman's voice said over the DEO intercom system in an Italian accent. "Stop what you're doing."

Match stopped and looked at the loudspeaker in disbelief.

Kon placed the voice and his eyes widened. "It can't be!"

"Contessa?" Match asked in a soft voice.

"It's not her, it's A-36," Mr. Bones said. "Don't fall for it!"

"A-36 is unraveling his program!" a technician reported in a panicked voice.

"It's me, Match," the voice continued. "Stop what you're doing. Come back to me, nothing has to change. We can be a family again."

A dark look passed over Match's face and he returned to typing, this time even faster than before.

"Are you going to make it?" Mr. Bones asked Match.

"I'm half a second ahead of it," Match responded, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two screens.

"That's it?" Superman asked. "That's too close. I'll get everybody out of here..."

As he reached for Match, his hand ran into an invisible barrier.

"I expect you to let me do my job," Match said in a tone that showed he's brook no interference. "It's what I'm here for."

"You can evacuate everybody else, but I'll stay here," Kon said.

"Me too," Robin said. "Your shield can protect me if it's needed."

"I'm hardly going to leave three teenagers here while I flee my own headquarters," Mr. Bones said dryly. "I'm staying."

Superman sighed. "I'll get everyone else out."

As he did that, the three watched Match continue to type. Kon checked the countdown. Less than thirty seconds remained. Match looked as driven as Kon had ever seen him; he normally looked calm and unruffled.

Match stopped typing as the countdown reached zero. A second passed. Then five seconds passed. There was no explosion.

Match stood up. "I know where A-36 is being housed. Let's retrieve it."

Match's impassive demeanor had returned.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Superboy asked. "You must be mentally exhausted after what you've just done."

Match gave him a weary smile. "I know what A-36 is capable of. I'll feel better if it's placed in custody."

"I'll assemble a team of agents," Mr. Bones said.

* * *

With the situation under control, Superman left to deal with another emergency. Superboy, Robin, and Match accompanied the DEO team to A-36's location. The machine was in a deserted warehouse. 

Robin looked at it. "This is really top of the line, cutting edge hardware. It should be relatively easy to trace."

"I could be of great assistance to you," A-36 said in the Contessa's voice. "It's not necessary to disassemble me."

"I suggest you use a different voice," Match said in a deceptively neutral tone. "I don't find that one...appropriate."

Superboy glanced at his brother. He halfway expected him to destroy the computer with his bare hands.

"Match, I can-" it began, in the Contessa's voice.

"I know where your memory is," Match interrupted it. "I can destroy part of it without affecting the rest of you. It would be the human equivalent of a rather painful and debilitating stroke."

"I can be of assistance," A-36 said in a computerized voice. "We can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Match paused before smiling slightly. "Take it apart. It's too dangerous, and it won't stray from its purpose."

"Please, don't!" it pleaded. "I can-"

The AIs voice abruptly stopped.

"I've disconnected its voice," Match said. "It will be less distracting."

He turned to Superboy. "I'm going to head back. Are you coming?"

Kon shook his head. "I'm going to give Robin a lift back to Gotham. You seem like you need to cool down a bit."

"Dealing with this has made me a bit upset. When it comes to the Contessa, I suppose I'm a bit...sensitive."

"That's an understatement."

Match said his goodbyes and headed off.

* * *

As he left the warehouse, Match was wondering who built A-36. It couldn't have been the group that designed it. That left some organization or someone with access to the Groups' records. 

Preoccupied with both this mystery and his own emotions and still mentally exhausted from stopping A-36, Match was taken by surprise when somebody sprayed him in the face with a shot of gas from a canister.

Match tried to slam the person away from him with his telekinesis, but it didn't work. He realized that the gas must have been a psionic inhibitor.

Before he could do anything else or call for help, he was struck with a taser. He hit the ground.

Before he fell unconscious, he heard someone say, "Target acquired."

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Parents and Children, chapter 2

Conner was worried. Max had disappeared.

When he returned home, he was surprised to see that Max wasn't there. He called Clark to see if he had heard anything; he hadn't.

Clark wondered if this was just him deciding to disappear again. Conner didn't think so since Max had told him he was going home. While he might leave things out or remain silent, Max didn't lie to him.

He contacted Tim about it. Tim heard the concern in his voice and took him seriously. He did a scan of superhero sightings, and Match wasn't listed as appearing after he left them.

* * *

"We had nothing to do with his disappearance," Mr. Bones told the Martian Manhunter. "He saved our system, why would we repay him by abducting him?" 

J'onn looked at him. "Some say the situation might have been manufactured so you could capture him."

"Those would be irrational paranoids," Bones retorted.

"I see. I didn't think the DEO was behind it, but it was a lead that needed to be followed. Does anyone recall seeing him after he went home?"

Bones thought about it. "You can ask the team that went with him, but I don't think so. I could also check to see if there's anything that surveillance satellites picked up."

"That would be helpful. Thank you."

* * *

Match woke up to find himself restrained in a metal chair. He attempted to use his telekinesis to break free, but found that the inhibitor drugs were still in his system. He tested the strength of his restraints and found that they were too strong for him to break unaided. 

He noted that he had been stripped, meaning his captors intended to interrogate him. The idea was that this would make him feel vulnerable, a trap into which Match would not fall.

His mind ran over who would capture him and for what purpose. He came up with a list of likely candidates and motives.

A man in a business suit entered the room. Two armed guards flanked him. Match recognized the man instantly and kept his expression neutral though he realized that this was one of the worst possible candidates on his list.

"Match, I felt it was time we talked," Lex Luthor said with a smile that hinted of malice.

* * *

Kon swallowed. He was at a meeting in the JLA Watchtower with Superman, Nightwing, the Martian Manhunter, and Robin. Oracle was joining them via a screen. The purpose of the meeting was to find Match. 

"Are we sure that he hasn't disappeared by his own choice?" Oracle asked. "He's shown the ability to evade our efforts to find him."

Kon shook his head. "He said he'd see me back home. He wouldn't lie to me."

"While I can't vouch for the second statement, he did say he'd head back," Robin confirmed.

"I've been in Match's mind," J'onn said. "He would not directly lie to Superboy."

"I can't hear him anywhere," Superman admitted. "He can't disguise his heartbeat for that long a period without aid."

"If you knew his heartbeat, why didn't you track him with it before?" Kon asked.

"I only made sure to memorize it after he came back," Superman said. "I wanted to make sure that he didn't disappear like that again."

"Where does that leave us?" Nightwing asked. "He's either gone into hiding, or he's been abducted. If he's gone into hiding, he's taking steps that he didn't a few weeks ago. I think it's more likely he's been abducted."

Kon realized there was another possibility they were all avoiding mentioning. "If his heartbeat has stopped, it could mean he's dead."

"I find it unlikely that he's dead," J'onn said. "I'm sure I would have sensed something. The fact that I didn't and I can't make contact with him would point more towards abduction."

"Were you able to sense him when he went into hiding?" Superman asked.

"I was," J'onn replied. "He sent me several realistic images of Paris and Berlin. He threw out red herrings to throw me off his trail."

"That would give more proof to the abduction hypothesis," Nightwing said. "He didn't have a shielded location before."

Oracle said, "I've just received pictures from surveillance satellites. They confirm his abduction."

Pictures of Match being tasered and put into a car trunk were displayed on screen.

* * *

"You've been quite a thorn in my side," Luthor told Match. 

"As much as I'd like to take credit for it, I don't know what you're referring to," Match said, hoping to get him to clarify.

It worked. "You've disrupted my plans regarding Superboy. You've given him a stability that shouldn't be there. If it weren't, he'd turn to his father."

"Perhaps if you took him to some father-son baseball games-" Match began before Luthor slapped him across the face.

"You're not amusing. You have no idea how much time, money, and effort I placed into him. For one of Erica's little toys to wreck that is...unacceptable."

Match smiled. "I know that you were behind A-36. Did you also supply Dabney Donovan with the genetic sample to create Kor-El?"

"Kor-El? Oh, you mean the adult clone. Did the alien really give it one of its species names? It always was too sentimental for its own good. I suppose that even you have one."

"Kor-El gave me one."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Kru-El."

Luthor laughed. "That's a good one. I didn't think that Dabney gave the adult clone a sense of humor."

"I hope to show you how well I can live up to the name."

"I have no doubt. There's a bit of Erica in you."

There was a pause.

"You've distracted me from my original purpose," Luthor said. "I won't be derailed that easily."

"I'm so sorry," said Match, not sounding apologetic in the least.

"I've decided that I'll simply make sure you're on my side. By the time my experts are done with you, you'll be my loyal soldier."

Match glared at him. "I doubt it."

Luthor smiled as two men in lab coats entered. They had eager grins on their faces and a wide variety of wicked looking implements.

"Gentlemen, he's yours," Luthor told them.

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Parents and Children, chapter 3

Robin and Oracle were trying to track down the origins of A-36's parts. Superman and the Martian Manhunter were scanning the abduction site for evidence. Superboy and Nightwing were looking at the photos of Match's capture.

"Are you sure that I'm not in the way?" Kon asked. "I feel like I'm here just because I'm his family. I'm not sure I'm contributing anything."

"You're here because you have a perfect memory," Nightwing said. "We'll be looking at all the evidence, but because you can recall things faster than I can, you may notice something before I do."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do. I also know that there's no way to keep you away from this."

"I just want to find him and make sure he's okay."

"We'll find him. I promise."

* * *

Match was looking a little worse for the wear when Luthor came to see him on the second day of his captivity. 

"I imagine that you're probably more receptive to the thought of working for me," Luthor said.

Match looked at him. "You'd imagine incorrectly."

"The alien hasn't shown you any loyalty, why should you show him any?"

"If you're going to lie to me, why don't you use a plausible one?"

"The adult clone made him distrust you. I kept track of his flight patterns; I know he deviated from his regular ones during that time. He was keeping an eye on you."

"Oh, that. Are you sure he wasn't rescuing kittens out of trees? That's the sort of thing he does."

Luthor laughed. "I didn't expect to see such cynicism in you. That's quite impressive."

"Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Go ahead. I'm feeling generous."

"Have you really fallen so low that you can't even hire good torturers? Their techniques are sloppy and they use archaic equipment. I hope you got a good rate for them."

Luthor's face contorted with rage, and he slapped Match across the face. "We'll see if you find them as amusing after they're done today."

* * *

"What about this?" Kon asked, pointing at a paper. 

Nightwing looked at it. It was a report of an abandoned vehicle that was the same make and model of the car used to kidnap Match.

"We don't have anything to link it to the one at the scene," he replied. "It might be the right one, but it might not be. Without any evidence, we can't follow every lead at this point."

Kon's shoulders slumped. "And there's no license plate on the report. You're right, there's nothing to link them."

"Unless...Oracle can you zoom in and clean up the image of one of those satellite photos?"

"You know I can," Oracle responded. "What part do you want to see?"

"The left dashboard. The VIN should be there."

"What's a VIN?" Superboy asked.

"It's the vehicle identification number. Each car has a unique one."

"I'm sending over the magnification now," Oracle said. "How does it compare to the one in the report?"

Kon looked at the photo and then at the report, before smiling. "They're the same."

Nightwing smiled as well. "Okay, we've got confirmation that it's connected. We can plot a path from the abduction site to the abandoned vehicle and see what's along the route."

"From that, we can see if there's any place that looks like they likely stopped, right?"

"Exactly. That will help us trace their route."

-----

Author's note: Kon-El is certainly not dumb, but he's also aware that he doesn't have the investigative background that the others have, hence his worry that he's in the way.

Any and all comments welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Parents and Children, chapter 4

On the third day of his captivity, Match's left eye was swollen shut. There were bruises all over his body. Luthor came for another visit.

"I hope that you know that I don't actually like seeing you this way," Luthor told him.

"I don't think you dislike it either," was Match's reply.

"True. You're getting my employees quite frustrated; they thought they could break you in a day. Your resolve hasn't cracked."

"Is that a compliment from Daddy? I'm afraid that you have me confused with someone else; I don't have a father complex. I'm the one with the mother complex."

"Your defiance is quite amusing. If you want the truth, I think I've grown quite fond of you."

Match burst out laughing. It hurt to laugh. He managed to control himself after a few moments.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh, but you have to admit that my current situation doesn't reflect any fondness from you at all."

"I suppose it doesn't. If you'd willingly join me, it would all stop."

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to decline your offer."

"Don't you think it's odd? You hated Superboy, but now you're his faithful dog. Don't you think that they altered your mind? They've done it to others, why not you?"

"He wouldn't do that. Even if they did change my mind, it would have been for the best. I like myself much more than before."

"If worst comes to worst, I'll simply have your mind wiped. You'll be like you were originally."

A flicker of fear showed in Match's eyes. "You're bluffing."

Luthor gave him a sinister smile. "I don't bluff."

* * *

Conner's eyes were red from lack of sleep. He had only gotten an hour or two of sleep here and there over the past three days. Fortunately, his body could draw on its resources of solar energy to keep him going. His mind, however, needed rest. 

Robin and Oracle had traced the components of A-36 to their manufacturers. They were in the process of tracing the location to which they were shipped. These would be cross-referenced against flights from the airport that was near the abandoned car.

Nightwing was uneasy. "It seems too easy. I think we're being led to this conclusion."

"For what purpose?" Conner asked. "It's a Byzantine path to follow if it's one that's been laid for us."

"Listen to you. 'Byzantine path.' You sound like you've swallowed a dictionary."

Conner blushed. "I think I've picked up some of Match's vocabulary. He has a very unusual vocabulary and way of speaking for a teenager."

"No, I think it's either a trap for us, or we're supposed to go there and cause some event to happen. The trail of clues seems a little too definitive."

Kon leaned back in his chair. "This is the only lead we have, though. If we're going to find my brother, we have to do this."

"I know. I just want you to be careful. It doesn't hurt to be on guard. I've just got this feeling about it."

Nightwing shook his head to clear away those thoughts and looked at Kon. "Rest up. I'll let you know when Robin and Oracle report. We'll move out once we have a location."

"I can stay awake," Kon argued.

"You're exhausted," Nightwing stated, his voice hardening. "If you're tired, you'll be a liability to us when we go to retrieve Match. If that's the case, I will leave you at the Watchtower."

Kon jerked back, as if he had been slapped. "I...I wasn't expecting that from you. You seemed way too nice to do something like that."

Nightwing softened. "I know that you want to help Max, but you won't be any help if you're about to pass out. You'll just put him in danger."

Kon sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'll get some sleep."

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Parents and Children, chapter 5

Match was in pain. His last meeting with the two torturers had been particularly brutal. He was fairly certain that he had serious injuries that could grow to be life-threatening if left unattended. He hadn't seen Luthor today; he wondered if he had angered the man enough to convince him to give up on his attempts to break him.

He heard alarms. A small smile formed across his lips. It looked like his captors had intruders.

* * *

Superboy was knocking down groups of guards. He was a little anxious since he hadn't seen Match. He and Nightwing were partnered as a pair, while Robin and Superman were another. The Martian Manhunter was off on his own, looking for Match. 

"Superboy, to your right!" Nightwing called out.

Kon turned to face another squad of guards.

* * *

J'onn reached out with his telepathy, searching for Match's mind. The base's telepathic shielding was only effective when the shielding was between him and his subject; in the base, he could scan regularly. He caught traces of Match's thoughts and homed in on its location, disabling guards on the way. 

He arrived at a door and ripped it down. A very injured Match was behind it, strapped to a metal chair. J'onn was shocked at the extent of the young man's injuries. He ripped off the straps and tried to rouse him with his telepathy.

"How bad is it?" J'onn asked. "Who did this to you?"

As J'onn wrapped Match in his cloak, Match whispered, "Luthor. It was...Luthor."

* * *

'I've found him,' J'onn's mental voice informed the others. 'He's alive.' 

Conner breathed a sigh of relief. His brother was still alive.

'What shape is he in?' Superman asked via the telepathic link.

'Not good,' J'onn admitted. 'He said it was Luthor that was behind this.'

Superboy grimaced. He wanted to find Luthor and smash his face in.

'I'll bring him, but I'll stay back from the front line,' J'onn sent. 'If we have to leave in a hurry, he'll be with us.'

* * *

The five subdued all of Luthor's mercenaries in a relatively short time. Unfortunately, Luthor was no longer among them; he had either somehow known that they were coming and abandoned his men or was lucky to have happened to be absent. 

Kon looked anxiously at Match. He was still huddled underneath J'onn's cloak. He looked so small and fragile.

Superman muttered, "He's got broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a ruptured spleen. He needs better medical attention than a hospital can give him."

"The Watchtower is not in any condition to treat his wound," J'onn said. "What about your fortress?"

Superman nodded. "It's the best place to take care of him. I'll recalibrate the medical bay for his physiology. Can you bring him there when I've finished?"

J'onn nodded, and Superman left.

After he left, Match somehow acquired one of the mercenary's guns and pointed it at two of the prisoners who were wearing lab coats.

"What are you doing?" Kon shouted. "Where did you get that gun?"

J'onn looked at Match, and his eyes widened. "They're the ones that did that to him."

"What?" Kon asked, shocked.

"Match, put the gun down," Nightwing coaxed him. "You don't want to do that."

A hologram of Luthor appeared.

"Don't you?" he asked. "Go ahead, Match. They're the ones who hurt you. They enjoyed hurting you. Make sure that they'll never hurt anyone again. Take your revenge!"

"Don't do it," Robin urged. "They're not worth it!"

Match looked at the two cowering men with cold, merciless eyes. Luthor's hologram smiled.

"They deserve it," he said. "They'll do it again if you don't stop them. Maybe they'll hurt someone you care about. They'd do the same thing to Superboy."

Match released the safety. Conner stepped towards him, but Match continued to aim the gun at the torturers, ignoring their cries.

"Do it!" Luthor ordered. "Prove you're worthy to your father!"

"That's it," Nightwing said in realization. "We were led here to witness this. He wants us to witness this; he wants to have made Match a murderer!"

"Shoot!" Luthor commanded.

Max held the gun on the torturers for another moment before he replaced the safety and handed the gun to Superboy.

"That's the right thing to do," Kon told him.

"You worthless dolt!" Luthor raged. "You soft-hearted weakling! You should have killed them!"

"I...I won't let you win," Match managed to say. "It's my choice...not yours."

Luthor's hologram disappeared.

"I thought he was going to shoot," Robin whispered to Nightwing.

"So did I," admitted Nightwing.

"If Luthor hadn't said anything, I might have," Match told them. "His propensity to gloat is one of his weaknesses."

J'onn gathered Match in his arms. "Superman's prepared his equipment to take care of you. I'll take you there. Superboy, Nightwing, Robin, please wait for the authorities to take the prisoners in custody."

-----

The final chapter will be the epilogue.

Any and all comments welcome!


	6. Epilogue

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Parents and Children, epilogue

Max was lying in the healing bed that Clark had set up. He was being watched over and cared for by robots of varying self-awareness. He was quite bored, but tried to pass the time by learning Kryptonian. It was a difficult language, but he was picking it up.

The door slid open, and Conner walked into the room.

"Max!" he said, coming over to his brother's side. "You're looking a lot better. When I first came here, you were unconscious. I would have stayed, but Clark forced me to go home."

"I'm glad to see you," Max said. "I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."

"It's not your fault. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. However, I've felt better. I'm learning Kryptonian, but there isn't a lot to do here."

"What did they do to you?"

Max looked away for a moment before turning to Conner. "It could have been worse."

"If you're angry, you don't have to hold back. You don't have to be strong for me. I'm here for you."

Max looked weary. "Not holding back my emotions almost ended in disaster. I've been through worse. I'll be fine in a few days. I'll be ready to head back to the Kent's farm by then."

"You've got a few more visitors, but they let me come in first," Conner told him. "Are you ready for them?"

Max took a deep breath. "I think I am."

"You can come in now," Conner called out.

Lois, Clark, Martha, and Jonathan entered. Martha started fussing over Max while the others took a less active method of trying to make him comfortable.

"How are you holding up?" Jonathan asked.

"I feel a lot better," Max replied. "I must have looked like quite a mess."

Conner and Clark shifted uncomfortably. They hadn't told the others about the extent of Max's injuries, only that they were serious. Lois had suspicions, but Martha and Jonathan were in the dark.

"You'll be back at the farm in no time," Martha said. "You're looking great!"

"That will be good," Max said. "I'm looking forward to coming back. There isn't much to do here, so I'm trying to learn Kryptonian."

"That's good," Martha said. "Clark tried to teach us when he was younger, but it didn't work out. I couldn't get my voice to make some of those sounds."

"I sounded like a gagging cat," Jonathan recalled.

Max smiled. Conner was glad to see that; it was a sign that he was recovering from his ordeal. He knew that Max would bottle up all of his feelings.

Lois entertained them all with stories of how Clark had left her to change into Superman. Clark blushed a bit shamefacedly; some of the excuses he had used were really bad.

Max enjoyed their visit. He thanked them when they left; Clark made Conner go home, even though he wanted to stay with Max. Conner knew it was the right thing to do; both of them had been away enough that their identities were in danger of slipping.

* * *

A couple of days after his last visit, Conner visited again, this time with Robin, Nightwing, and the Martian Manhunter. 

"I want to thank you all for helping find me," Max said. "I've already thanked Superman, but I wanted to do this personally. I've got a card I was hoping someone could pass on to Oracle, since I can't access the internet from here; the Fortress only gets radio and satellite waves, it won't let me connect to an unprotected wireless network."

Robin frowned. "You shouldn't do that."

Max nodded. "You're right, and I normally wouldn't. Still, I'm not feeling my best, and I don't really want to slip past someone's security unless I'm healthy. It would be insulting otherwise."

Robin gave him a look, and then the two burst into laughter. Kon, J'onn, and Dick all exchanged blank stares.

"Did you get what was funny?" Kon asked.

"I think it's some sort of hacker humor," Dick replied. "I'll repeat the joke to Oracle and see if she finds it funny."

"You look like you're feeling better," J'onn noted.

Max nodded. "I'm ready to get back to work."

"Your condition was quite bad. Are you sure?"

He looked at J'onn steadily. "It could have been worse."

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"I've been trying to track down Luthor," Tim said. "I haven't had any luck so far, but I'm sure that it's only a matter of time."

"He'll surface when he wants to," Match said. "I'll be waiting to catch him."

Conner smiled. Max was starting to sound like himself again.

"You sound confident about that," Dick remarked.

"It's a matter of probabilities," Max explained. "Eventually, the numbers will win out, no matter how intelligent or lucky he is."

"That sounds like something he may have said in regards to Superman," Dick said. "Are you sure that's a viewpoint you want to take?"

Max shrugged. "He may have come to that conclusion without really knowing Superman. In contrast, I know more about Luthor and the way he thinks. The comparison isn't valid."

"I know you aren't always like this," Robin said. "What's driving you so much? How can you shrug this off so easily and want to get back to business as usual?"

"I've been through worse," he replied.

Robin looked at him quizzically and then turned to the others.

"I think Match wants to put all of this behind him," Kon said. "If he gets back to his normal routine, then this will be a lot easier to do."

"Besides," he continued, "if I know my brother, he really wants to get back to his regular run. He gets a bit cranky if he has to change it if it's raining too hard."

"I don't get cranky," Max objected.

"Uh huh. Keep telling yourself that."

"What's a cranky Match act like?" Nightwing asked, playing along.

"He does everything the same, except he's a bit cooler about it," Kon told them. "It's like an iceberg in the room. His voice becomes just a little more precise too."

"You're saying that his normal voice isn't as precise as it gets?" Robin teased. "I'm not sure that's possible. An English butler doesn't speak as properly as he does."

"Now you're all ganging up on me," Max complained.

"It is good to see that your recovery is progressing well," J'onn said. "We have been worried. I'm glad that you're putting your ordeal behind you."

"Thank you, J'onn."

"Though it would not hurt you to relax more often," J'onn said without cracking a smile. "Perhaps you should consider eating some choco cookies once in a while."

Match sighed. "Even J'onn is joining in. I'm overwhelmingly outnumbered."

Kon smiled. This visit was what his brother needed.

-----

I felt that it was important to end on an up note, given the bad stuff that I put Match through. As I was writing this, I wondered if I really liked Match since I've written about putting him through lots of bad stuff.

Any and all comments welcome!


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